Pomegranate raita

For centuries, Indians have been eating the pomegranate.   I can remember eating them in Kenya as a child and being told how good they were for you.  In the UK, at one time you could only get pomegranates in specialist ethnic stores.  However, for the last few years, the Western World has caught on on the goodness of pomegranates and now selling them as a super food.   In Kenya, we used to use the rind of pomegranate as a remedy against diarrhea. The juice was considered to be good tonic for you. 


We all love pomegranates and often add them to salads, shrikands and raitas.  The sweet seeds add an unusual flavour to the dish.


Raita is a yogurt condiment flavoured with  grated or finely chopped vegetables or fruit  with herbs or mustard to enhance the flavour.  In Gujarati  mustard is called "rai".  "So a raita without mustard isn't a raita"  according to my dad and father in law!  I used the ready made  English mustard which is fairly mild. You can add as much or as little as you like.


Raitas are great to have as an accompaniment with any curries.  It's always part of the Gujarati Thali.   It can also be used as a dip for  papadams, bhajias, dhoklas etc.. There are lots of different variations of making raita. Variations of other raita recipes can be found here


Ingredients for Pomegranate raita: 

2 cups of yogurt

salt to taste

1 -2 teaspoons of English mustard ( readymade).

2-3 green chillies cut into small pieces ( use as per your taste)

5-6 strands of coriander

half to one cup of pomegranates( you can add as much as you like...depending on personal preference)

Method:


1.  Transfer yogurt to a mixing bowl.


2.  Add the salt, mustard, chillies, coriander and pomegranates to the yogurt.


3.  Mix well using a fork.


4.  The raita is ready.  Please keep it in the fridge until you are ready to serve.

If you enjoy reading my blog, please click on Follow or become a fan of my page on Facebook or follow me on Twitter.


My blog  is also available on Kindle.

www.givemesomespice.com

Cucumber, carrot and green chillies raita

Raita is a yogurt condiment flavoured with  grated or finely chopped vegetables and herbs or mustard to enhance the flavour.  In Gujarati  mustard is called "rai".  "So a raita without mustard isn't a raita"  according to my dad and father in law!  I used the ready made  English mustard which is fairly mild. You can add as much or as little as you like.  The authentic way is to grind the mustard and add the mustard powder to the raita.  Now this is an acquired taste as too much mustard powder can be unbearable hot!!   A strong mustard can cause the eyes to water, sting your throat and open your nostrils.   I have read that mustard can also cause allergic reactions so just check you or your guests are not allergic to the stuff.

Anyway, raitas are great to have as an accompaniment with any curries.  It's always part of the Gujarati Thali.   It can also be used as a dip for  papadams, bhajias, dhoklas etc.. There are lots of different variations of making raita.  This cucumber raita is the easiest to make.

Ingredients for small serving of raita:

3 inches of cucumber
250 grams of natural greek style yogurt
salt to taste
1 tsp of English mustard
2-3 finely chopped green chillies (use as per your taste)
1 clove of minced garlic
5-6 strands of coriander
pinch of mustard and crushed chillies for garnishing

Method

1.   Grate the cucumber using a coarse grater.

2.   Add the chopped chillies, minced garlic, chopped coriander, salt and mustard to the cucumber.

3.  Add the  yogurt to the cucumber and mix well. 

4.  Keep it cool in the fridge until ready to serve

You can make variations of raita using the same recipe.  For the following recipes, I used cucumber, carrots and fresh green chilllies. 

If you enjoy reading my blog, please Follow or become a fan of my page on Facebook or follow me on Twitter.

Home made plain yoghurt

 

Housewives in India and Africa make homemade yoghurt all the time.  They do it as a routine and without a yoghurt maker or a thermometer.  Homemade yoghurt  is a healthy source of protein, calcium, magnesium, and other essential vitamins, whose active bacterial cultures aid in digestion. You can make yoghurt in your own home for a fraction of the cost of the typical store-bought type and it requires no special equipment 

Like most things homemade, yoghurt you make yourself is just better.  It tastes better and has no artificial preservatives.

For making yoghurt, you need a starter yoghurt. Starter yoghurt is yoghurt that has been made with active live cultures; this is the friendly bacteria that will turn your milk into yoghurt. You can buy a small container of  plain yoghurt at the grocery to use for this purpose. Make sure that the container says  Made with live cultures or something of this nature.

Ingredients:

Milk:  1 pint milk (you can use semi skimmed or full fat milk)
Small pot of live yoghurt to use as the starter culture.

Method:

1.   Boil the pint of milk.

2.   Allow the milk to cool down.

3.   Lots of recipes will give a temperature of 45 degrees which is right for making yoghurt.   I just dip my finger in the milk and make sure the milk is warm to touch.

4 .  Add 2 tablespoons of live yoghurt to the milk and stir. You may find that you need to add an extra spoonful of the culture during the winter months. 

 

5.   Cover the container and keep in an airtight and warm cupboard. In the winter, I tend to keep my container in the microwave. I also add a boiled kettle next to my container to give the microwave some warmth . Sounds crazy but it works!! I know of friends who keep a hot water bottle next to their container. In hot countries, it is a lot easier to make yoghurt. My suggestion would be make the yoghurt overnight.

 

6.  This is what my homemade yoghurt looked like:

 

If you enjoy reading my blog, please click on Follow or become a fan on my facebook page or follow me on Twitter. 

My blog is also available on Kindle